6/19/11

Not too long ago I posted a link to a parishioner's blog and recommended it to your attention. Andy has posted (shared would be a better verb) a letter to his father on Father's Day. (That's Andy and his dad in the photo above.) I believe that this will touch many hearts, especially of those who have lost their dads...

Dear Dad:

I know it hasn’t been that long since I’ve talked to you, but as you know it’s been over 19 years since we actually had a face-to-face conversation. On this side of the veil it’s hard to hear responses. Today is Father’s Day, though, and I wanted to write a letter to you as I used to do years ago. I guess you already know all of this, but it still feels good to talk.

I miss our conversations, you know. Some of my most cherished memories are those of sitting at the kitchen table with you sharing a couple beers or glasses of wine & talking about politics, religion, our family, My Fair Lady, and pretty much anything that came to mind...

Mostly I miss talking to you about faith, though. Growing up the son of priest was, honestly, good. Did you know that watching you all those Sundays in church–saying Mass, preaching, talking to parishioners, even singing in your (somewhat off-key) voice–built up such a love of God that even getting sent to war wouldn’t shake it? Somehow, I don’t think you did. You weren’t the kind of dad who preached tohis kids; you were the kind whose life was homily enough. Without ever putting it into words, you taught me that our faith goes far beyond the details of canon and dogma. You taught me that our faith is but a path to a transcendent spiritual life. Now that I think of it, I can’t recall a time outside of Sunday services in which I saw you pray, though I know you did every day. To me, your life was your prayer, and that taught & affected me more than if you’d insisted on a daily family prayer time.

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.